Flushing device in machines for manufacturing single pouches of cohesionless material and in systems for portioning and packaging tobacco molasses

ABSTRACT

Machines manufacturing pouches of a smokeless tobacco product or other cohesionless material, and systems for portioning and packaging tobamel type smoking mixtures, can be fitted with a flushing device that uses a number of spray nozzles ( 12, 31 ) positioned in close proximity to units ( 6, 30 ) by which the smokeless and smoking tobacco products are conveyed and processed; with the machine or system in operation, a cleansing fluid held in a tank ( 14, 33 ) is supplied under pressure to the nozzles ( 12, 31 ) by a pump ( 15, 34 ) and directed onto internal parts of the units ( 6, 30 ) in order to remove deposits of the product that tend to accumulate in the course of the processing steps, and thus avoid the need for frequent cleaning and maintenance stoppages.

This application is the National Phase of International Application PCT/IB2008/000656 filed on Mar. 19, 2008 which designated the U.S. and that International Application was published under PCT Article 21(2) in English.

This application claims priority to Italian Patent Application BO2007A000198 filed Mar. 20, 2007 and PCT/IB2008/000656 filed Mar. 19, 2008, which applications are incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a flushing device applicable to machines for manufacturing individual bags or sachets of cohesionless material, particularly pouches of nasal snuff, or of moist snuff (also known as snus) for oral use, as well as to systems for processing a tobacco mixture prepared with molasses or honey and other oily substances serving as moisturizing agents, and essences of flowers or fruit as aromatic agents.

Reference is made explicitly to tobacco in the course of the following specification, albeit with no limitation in scope implied, as the cohesionless material might consist similarly, for example, in powdered pharmaceutical or confectionery products treated with moisturizing agents, also tobacco molasses or tobamel smoked typically in a water pipe (shisha, hookah, narghile).

BACKGROUND ART

As regards the production of snus in pouches, the prior art embraces machines of the type comprising a unit by which tobacco stored in a magazine is taken up via a feed duct, subjected to primary processing steps and directed into a feed hopper, whereupon the pretreated, cohesionless material is released from the hopper to rotary conveying means at a delivery station, and carried by the conveying means to a transfer station where single portions of the tobacco are ejected.

The ejected portions are taken up by a wrapping station downstream of the transfer station, where each one is enclosed in a relative pouch.

In the case of systems for processing a tobacco mixture with molasses, or tobamel, on the other hand, an application for Italian patent was filed on the same date as the present application under n° BO2007A 000195 by the present applicant, of which the content is incorporated here by reference.

In particular, a system of the type in question comprises a unit by which the mixture is prepared, with a discharge station feeding a hopper, at which a conveying mechanism releases the mixture to a processing unit comprising a first transport wheel and a levelling wheel serving to distribute and regulate the volume of the mixture on the first wheel, also a second unloading wheel operating in conjunction with the first wheel.

The processing unit feeds the mixture to an extruder unit positioned beneath the hopper and downstream of the wheels, considered in the feed direction of the tobacco mixture or tobamel. The extruder unit comprises a device by which the tobamel is forced through an outlet orifice in the form of a continuous rod, the rod thereafter advancing in a predetermined direction through successive packaging stations.

Both in machines for manufacturing pouches of snus and in systems for portioning and packaging tobacco molasses, the equipment comprises a number of processing and conveying components in contact with the product which, due to the typical morphology of these same products and in particular by reason of their high moisture content, tend to cling to and form deposits on the components in question, thereby diminishing the output capacity of the machines and systems and giving rise to the need for frequent maintenance.

The object of the present invention is to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a machine for manufacturing pouches of cohesionless material, viewed schematically in a front elevation and comprising a device embodied in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a system for portioning and packaging a tobacco mixture, viewed schematically in a front elevation and comprising a device embodied in accordance with the present invention

With reference to FIG. 1, numeral 1 denotes a machine for manufacturing pouches containing a cohesionless material.

The machine 1 comprises a delivery station 2 at which the cohesionless material is released to conveying means 3 rotatable between the selfsame delivery station 2 and a transfer station 4, where successive portions of tobacco are ejected.

The machine 1 further comprises a wrapping station 5, of which a full description is disclosed in Italian patent application n° BO2006A 000792 filed Nov. 11, 2006 by the present applicant, at which the portions of tobacco ejected from the transfer station are taken up and enclosed in respective pouches.

The delivery station 2 incorporates a take-up, primary processing and feed unit 6 by which the cohesionless material is received from a magazine (not illustrated) and released to the aforementioned conveying means 3.

The take-up unit 6 comprises a dispensing wheel 7 presenting pockets 8 delimited by radial vanes 9 and serving to accommodate the tobacco, also a feed outlet 10 from which the tobacco is released to the aforementioned conveying means 3, and a pair of contrarotating rollers 11 interposed between the wheel 7 and the feed outlet 10, by which the tobacco is pretreated and conveyed toward the selfsame outlet 10.

Installed internally of the take-up, primary processing and feed unit 6 is a plurality of nozzles 12 from which to spray a cleansing fluid.

The nozzles 12 are connected by way of respective pipelines 13 to a tank 14 containing the cleansing fluid and equipped with a pump 15 by which the fluid is supplied to the nozzles 12 under pressure.

The activation of the pump 15, and therefore the supply of flushing fluid to the nozzles 12, is governed by a computerized master control unit (not illustrated).

The nozzles, tank and pump combine to provide the machine with flushing means 100.

The conveying means 3 are embodied as a drum 16 rotatable intermittently and anticlockwise about a horizontal axis A, and interposed between a bottom end of the feed outlet 10 and the transfer station 4.

The drum 16 presents a cylindrical wall, denoted 16 a, including a band of predetermined width rendered permeable to air by a plurality of through holes.

The enclosure 17 delimited by the cylindrical wall 16 a is divided by two radial walls into two sectors, denoted 18 and 19.

A first sector 18, located adjacent to the feed outlet 10 and extending around to the transfer station 4, is connected by way of a duct (not illustrated) to a source of negative pressure (not illustrated).

A second sector 19, positioned adjacent to and in alignment with the transfer station 4, is angularly complementary to the first sector 18 and connected by way of a relative duct to a source of compressed air (not illustrated).

With reference to FIG. 2, numeral 20 denotes a system in accordance with the invention for portioning and packaging a tobacco molasses mixture 21.

The system 20 comprises a preparation unit (not illustrated) where tobacco (not illustrated) is blended en masse by substantially conventional methods with agglutinating substances such as honey, molasses or the like, also with other oily substances such as glycerine, serving to moisturize the mixture, and preferably with essences of fruit or flowers serving as aromatizers.

Also forming part of the system 20 is a conveying mechanism 22, advantageously of flexible embodiment, on which the tobacco molasses mixture 21 is taken up from the preparation unit, and a discharge station 23 where the mixture is released by the conveying mechanism 22.

At a given point downstream of the discharge station 23, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the system 20 comprises a first transport wheel 24, and a second unloading wheel 25 operating in conjunction with the first wheel.

The first transport wheel 24 is positioned to receive the tobacco molasses mixture 21 at the discharge station 23.

Also positioned and operating at the discharge station 23 is a third levelling wheel 26, which when set in rotation serves to distribute and regulate the volume of the tobacco molasses mixture 21 occupying peripheral pockets 27 presented by the first transport wheel 24.

The system 20 further comprises an extruder unit 28, providing means by which to extrude the tobacco molasses mixture 21.

The tobacco molasses mixture 21 emerges from an outlet orifice 29 in the form of a continuous rod, advancing in a predetermined direction.

The first transport wheel 24, the associated second unloading wheel 25 and the extruding means 28 together create a unit 30 by means of which to convey and unload the tobacco mixture.

Located internally of the tobacco mixture conveying and unloading unit 30 is a plurality of spray nozzles 31 serving to deliver a cleansing fluid.

The nozzles 31 in question are connected by way of respective pipelines 32 to a tank 33 containing the cleansing fluid and equipped with a pump 34 by which the fluid is supplied to the nozzles under pressure.

The activation of the pump 34, and therefore the supply of flushing fluid to the nozzles 31, is governed by a computerized master control unit (not illustrated).

In practice, observing FIG. 2, the nozzles 31 will occupy a plane other than that occupied by the extruding means 28, in order to provide the necessary operating clearance for the purposes of spraying the extruder.

The nozzles, tank and pump combine to provide the system with flushing means 101.

A full description of the system in question is given in Italian patent application n° BO2007A 000195, filed on the same date as the present application by the same applicant, and incorporated here by reference.

The object stated at the outset is duly achieved with the adoption of a device according to the present invention.

In effect, the device is relatively effective in preventing the formation of tobacco deposits internally of the feed components described and illustrated; accordingly, there is no need to strip down the equipment and no requirement for action on the part of an operator, signifying a reduction in system downtime and operating costs. 

1) A flushing device in machines for manufacturing pouches of cohesionless material, of the type in which the material is directed through a take-up, primary processing and feed unit (6), characterized in that it comprises flushing means (100) positioned to coincide with the take-up, primary processing and feed unit (6) and designed to remove deposits of the cohesionless material. 2) A flushing device as in claim 1, wherein washing means (100) comprise a plurality of spray nozzles (12) connected to a tank (14) filled with a cleansing fluid. 3) A flushing device as in claim 2, comprising a pump (15), associated with the tank (14), by which the cleansing fluid is supplied under pressure to the nozzles (12). 4) A flushing device as in claim 1, applicable to a take-up device equipped with a dispensing wheel (7), a feed outlet (10) from which the cohesionless material is released to conveying means (3) to be directed toward a transfer station (4), and a pair of contrarotating rollers (11) interposed between the wheel (7) and the feed outlet (10), by which the material is pretreated and conveyed toward the selfsame outlet (10), wherein the flushing device comprises flushing means (100) positioned to coincide with the take-up unit (6) and designed to remove deposits of the cohesionless material. 5) A flushing device in systems for manufacturing a tobacco mixture, typically comprising a unit (30) by which the mixture is conveyed and unloaded, characterized in that it comprises flushing means (101) positioned to coincide with the conveying and unloading unit (30) and designed to remove deposits of the tobacco mixture. 6) A flushing device as in claim 4, wherein flushing means (101) comprise a plurality of spray nozzles (31) connected to a tank (33) filled with a cleansing fluid. 7) A flushing device as in claim 6, comprising a pump (34), associated with the tank (33), by which the cleansing fluid is supplied under pressure to the nozzles (31). 8) A flushing device as in claim 4, applicable to a conveying and unloading unit (30) equipped with a first transport wheel (24), a second unloading wheel (25) operating in conjunction with the first wheel (24), and means (28) by which to extrude the tobacco mixture, wherein the flushing device comprises flushing means (101) positioned to coincide with the conveying and unloading unit (30) and designed to remove deposits of the tobacco mixture. 9) A machine for manufacturing pouches of cohesionless material, equipped with a flushing device as in claim
 1. 10) A system for manufacturing a tobacco mixture, equipped with a flushing device as in claim
 5. 